Tea Fancies

In walks my General Manager the day … “Hi Peter, Quick question … If I were to ask you if it was possible to do some tea and coffee fancies every Wednesday and Sunday for Guest Care purposes … What would you say?”

Fuck!

“Well … as you know its a completely new menu this year” … I was struggling … ” … and I dont really know the standard of chefs Im going to be getting yet …”

“Oh! Its only simple stuff! Maybe a Victoria sponge … maybe shortbread … danish pastries … cookies and the like!”, he replies.

Well … Inside im thinking about how most “chefs” they afford to employ here cant cook for toffee and im sweating because I KNOW my work is already going to be cut out.

And also, a wee part of me wanted to say, “Well can you make those things?!”

“Can I have complete control on it … meaning IM the one who decides what to make and IM the one who gets to make it … and I get a decent enough budget to make it properly???”, I said grudgingly due to the time involved in such things and hopefully due to the enjoyment I would get out of it.

“Yes … Ill give you free reign …come back to me next week with a rough costing”

“Ok!”, I said with my mind racing about getting to do some real pattiserie work again.

And then he says … “Its for about 30 – 40 people”

Gulp!

“Oh … I love fruit slices so Ill be expecting some of those!”, he says as he is walking out the door.

Fuck!

Fruit Slices need patisserie cream.

I have a history with patisserie cream.

About twelve years ago I was shown the method by a head chef … and for the following 2 months or so I had to make a batch every two days … and I often fucked up … and was endlessly berated for its lack of finesse .

Its simple enough to do … but everyone has an achilles heel.

So expect an update – with pictures! – on Bawbags distinct method of how to make pattisserie cream for 30 – 40 covers.

Man Alive.

PS – But at least I will get a chance of using my wooden thistle shortbread mould again!

Huzzah!

Filed under: Bad Shit, Cooking, Good Shit, Work , Cooking, pastry cream, patisserie, Work

Up Escalator

Today was the first weekend I havent spent with K in MONTHS.

I was maudlin most of the day … I had kept thinking what I was going to do with myself on Saturday and had decided that I was at least going into town to have a really long slow cappucino in Costa.

So thats what I set out to do … but the closer I got to that coffee the more my heart sank and by the time I got into the Waterstones where Costa is situated, I had basically decided to just turn around and make my way back to my motor.

But …

Just as I was thinking that she phoned me …

I answered immediately … normally if im in a shop, a book shop in particular, and someone phones me I leave it and ring them back later.

But I couldnt hit the accept button fast enough this time.

It was a GOOD phonecall … some phonecalls are just phonecalls … some phonecalls are terrible gut wrenching phonecalls … but this was one of those that can lift a spirit out of the doldrums and peel away layers.

We chatted for five minutes and I didnt once worry about who was around me hearing me.

Immediately afterwards, Feeling sprightly and chuffed I hit the escalator and went straight up to Costa and as I did I couldnt help smiling as I thought about how K NEVER takes the escalator here – she uses the stairs that run parralel to them and always tuts at me for being lazy.

I always get to the top first though.

Filed under: Love , coffee, escalator

The State Of Play

Listen its like this …

I am in a strait that some would term dire.

I am feeling a very deep need to move forward in life. We, my fiance and myself, have been seperated through work by a distance of 200 miles. We are both living in accomodation provided by our work. Our work is taxing both on mind and body.

Dreams of houses, marriage and dare I say it – children are consuming me …

Yet realities of employment, recession and general fuckerage are thwarting me …

Lately I have been gaining my only sustenance from a bowl of soup, a stolen baguette and lots, and I mean lots, of chantenay carrots a day.

Seriously though – what is it with me and carrots at the moment?!

As soon as I finish one im reaching for another – Im Chain-Chomping them.

There you go eh?!

My name is PeterMacD, Bawbags to some, and I am a chain chomper of chantenay carrots.

Dont try and deal me any more blows Fate!

I will be seeing in the dark at this rate … and when you sneak up on me on that long dark night of the soul – yer arse is mine this time pal.

Filed under: Blogging , carrots

A useful thing and free too …

Ok … I am gonna start bumming off about my iphone again here … so if you are a hater just leave now.

I love it!

Ive found a FREE cinema listings app that does EXACTLY what it says on the tin! … unlike a hell of a lot of free apps on the app store.

Anyway … its called Movies Now!.

No longer will you have to check through online or on paper listings … just hit the button and instantly a list of all films being shown in your area will appear according to their start times.

In other cinema listings apps you have to press this and that button, scroll through menus, etc to get to what you want to know … but not this one.

I havent even looked deeper into the app yet – probably never will … I DONT NEED TO! … It answers all the questions I could ever ask of a cinema listings app in a space of seconds.

ITS FREE … TRY IT OOT!

Filed under: iPhone Apps , apps, iphone, Movies Now!

Moleskine & Dongle

Since the start of this year I have endeavoured to keep a diary. Its a resolution I have tried to keep in the past but never quite managed …

Christ! The amount of times I have thrown out almost empty journals with only a few days of January filled in you would not believe!

However, so far so good – Its positively crammed with my scrawl, I enjoy the 20 odd minutes I spend writing it per evening and I am already finding it a joy to look over … Hmmm – this time a month ago I was on a bus leaving Mexico City with my intended.

Good Times!

But why not channel these scrawls into this blog?

Well Ive thought about that a little and decided that the incredibly personal rants and raves would not suit the online format … but ive come across a wee idea … why dont I “scan” a page a day and put it on “as is” on another blog. The blog style would have to be as plain and as anonymous as possible – it could never be linked to this or twitter – just a page on a screen – nothing else, no info.

Nada.

Watcha think?

Am I resolute enough to go through with such a plan …

Also -

Keeping this physical, tangible, hold in your hand diary has focussed my attention on the fleeting nature of our existence … I could easily place 30 – 40 of these moleskines on your average book shelf … at a rough guess they are 2.5 cms thick and multiply that by my hopeful continued existence of around 30 – 40 years (maybe more at a push) would only equate to 75 – 100 cms.

Thats 1 metre for the rest of my existence.

That gives me the willies so it does.

Then again I (and you) could shuffle of this earth tomorrow … leaving a hell of a lot of space on the shelf for Kurt Vonnegut novels.

So it goes, Mr Vonnegut …

So it goes.

P.S. – note the O2 dongle in the photograph – they are gash – its like looking at the internet at half the speed and a quarter of the resolution

Filed under: Blogging, Good Shit , dongle, moleskine, O2, Vonnegut

The Return Of The Mac

Yip Im Back!

Its taken a while for me to start blogging again for two reasons …

1. An internet connection

And …

2. The Bump.

Aye, The Bump … Whit bump? – the one you feel when you take some potentially life channging time off travelling in another country an have to return to the cold harsh reality of life in the UK … and its a bitch.

Since getting back K and I have had to be seperated due to work … its messy but if you have been reading my previous blog posts you will know the reasons … We are determined to remain positive about our future however … apart from fleeting moments of accidental glances into the void by myself … which I am sure to blog about from a bleeding heart keyboard stroke.

Mexico was UNBELIEVABLE … Truly … Im sure I will update more about that with a few pics in time.

So its Onwards and Upwards for now … just not at the gradient I hoped it to be but ach well … to quote The Limmy Show which I managed to catch up with at the weekend …

Whits the Ploblem?

Filed under: Blogging , limmy, Mexico

No Camera Trickery Involved

Ok folks … First let’s deal with the facts … Two of them.

The hotel were staying in here is at the budget end of the scale ok?!

And.

There are water shortages in Mexico City.

Here is a picture of our shower head …

Looks okay whit ye moanin aboot bawbags?

Aye well … Take a gander at this …

That’s our shower head with a shiny bright British Twenty Pence Piece held RIGHT up against it!!!

Honest! … It covers ALL the holes! … No camera trickery involved!

Having a shower is like being peed upon by a baby …

Ach! At least it’s hot water though – makes a change ahm tellin ye!

Filed under: Bad Shit , Mexico City, shower, water

Turistico

We just couldn’t get our bearings at all in the city this morning – it took a crazy amount of time for us to find a decent place to have a coffee and sit down to leaf through the Rough Guide.

Mondays a weird day in Mexico – if a shop, business, museum etc is going to be closed one day a week then for some reason – obvious to mexicans yet concealed to me – it tends to be Monday.

So a democratic decision was made and we were to take the open-top bus tour of the city.

It completely changed my idea of Mexico City – it’s amazing!

The huge plush swathe of Reforma, the amazing statues dotted everywhere, the big open green parks, the brash hope exhibited in both the historic and the modern buildings … But most of all … And I really mean most of all – the sheer size of the place!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah ! … I know – London is amazing too – but it’s just so different here … And it really does feel twice the size because it all feels connected – walk 30mins in London and you know you’re in a different area/borough – not so in Mexico City.

The tour took 3hrs.

We sat at the back of the upper floor.

WE ALMOST FROZE !!!

It really is quite chilly in Mexico City at the moment!

I let K get on with the “serious” photos while I, as you can see, got on with some LOMO fun …

Oh yeah! Managed to capture an accident between a car and scooter …

And a Boxer wandering free and barking at vehicles on Insurgientes – if that’s how you spell it.

Don’t get me started aboot they bloody dogs again!

Anyway – Good Times!

Aw the best.

Filed under: Good Shit, Mexico , coach, Mexico City, tour

This American Life Podcast

I finally got round to actually listening to some of these podcasts while on the bus today.

Andrew Marrs impressions on “The Making Of Modern Britain” were begining to grate on me so I thought I’d give Ira Glass and Co. a listen and see what the fuss is about.

Oh my god!

Jesus H Living Christ!

WHY HAS NOBODY HELD ME DOWN AND FORCED ME TO DO THIS BEFORE!

If you haven’t already – download one to try – #397 blew me away and then so did every subsequent one!

Heaven

Filed under: Good Shit , itunes, podcast, this american life

First World Buses & Second World Fusses

We made the journey from Oaxaca to Mexico City by coach today … Only 6 and a half hours – not much in Mexico really.

This bus company that they have in Mexico – ADO – fuck me they’re good.

To get on the bus today we had to pass through a scanner then be frisked and then a smartly dressed official comes on when everyone is seated and takes an HD video of everyones faces – I can just picture the fuss that would kick up on National Express in the UK … Oh we can’t film people! – it’d infringe their rights … or some such shite!

Oh yeah … All your luggage is labelled, numbered and recorded on computer … Magic eh! None of that anxiety of getting yer bag swiped by some radge who gets off at a station before you!

National Express should take note!

And as for ADO staff – immaculate and professional …. Christ they take the job seriously – I reckon it must be a bit of a big deal to work for ADO in Mexico. A bit like being a trolley dolley for British Airways in the 70 & 80s!!!

The journey itself was magic … See those mountains ye get in the Highlands of Scotland? … They’re great and all that but these ones we were up the day were worlds apart … Covered in Cactus too!

Beat that Cairngorms!

Oh aye! …. Seen a dead dog and a dead horse on the side of the road too…gave us a wee shudder so it did … Cheers Mexico!

As for Mexico City … Well I’ve no seen much yet but IT IS FUCKING HUGE!

Overwhelming really … Exactly how much graffiti can you get per square foot of slum?!!!

Aw the best

Filed under: Good Shit, Mexico , ADO, coach, Mexico, mexico DF